The Vaccines: We’re not scared of anything now

WHEN SFTW first met The Vaccines they were about to put out debut album What
Did You Expect From The Vaccines? which launched them as the new band of
2011.

A year later, the four men in their twenties, fronted by the shy
singer/songwriter Justin Young, are gearing up for the release of its
follow-up — the suitably titled The Vaccines Come Of Age. And it’s been a
speedy return.

Sitting with drummer Pete Robertson, Justin says: “It is a rare thing to have
a new album ready in such a short time.

“But it’s how music used to be and how it should be. We’ve written two albums,
put out a live album, an EP and two standalone singles in 14 months.

“Waiting longer than that, as many bands do, is no good for the fans and no
good for us either. We don’t want to go out and play the same songs to the
same people. Then you’re cabaret and the one thing The Vaccines aren’t is a
cabaret band.”

We meet in Justin’s local West London pub the day after the pair with
guitarist Freddie Cowan and Arni Arnason travelled back from a triumphant T
In The Park show.

Chirpy but tired, Justin is different to the sullen young man SFTW met a
year ago.

“It’s been a crazy old year,” he smiles. “We’ve all changed and become more
confident as people and our friendship is stronger.

“I felt like I always had to defend our band in the early days with the hype
and the backlash of that hype.

“But we came through — and that’s down to our music and the great songs we had
on that first album and our live shows.”

But we’re not here to talk about their acclaimed debut What Did You Expect
From The Vaccines? It’s about looking ahead.

On the morning we meet, their second album, The Vaccines Come Of Age is being
mastered and a new single No Hope is in the shops.

It’s a big day for the band and, as Justin and Pete walk into the pub, The
Ramones’ Do You Remember Rock ’n’ Roll Radio blasts out of the speakers.

“Ha this is a good sign,” laughs Justin. “It’s the song we walk on stage to
too.”

Justin, 25, says the point The Vaccines went from “hyped new band” to “great
new band” was at the Reading and Leeds Festivals last year. He explains: “It
was five or six months after the record came out and we were still riding a
wave. Those last few festivals of the year felt like a victory lap and it
allowed us to finally move forward. Then at Christmas we had a bunch of
songs that we were really happy with and our label said, ‘OK, release them’.”

Travelling around the world playing shows and festivals proved to be a huge
inspiration to the band and Justin’s songwriting.

He says: “It filled me with energy and excitement, looking over whole cities
and meeting people, so I was always writing.”

Pete adds: “And we’ve become tighter as a band. We are just a better band.”

Starting the new album they drew up a wish-list of producers they’d want for
the new record. Top of the list was Kings Of Leon producer Ethan Johns — who
immediately agreed when asked if he wanted to work with them.

“I love Kings Of Leon and knew his records,” says Pete, 27. “And he wanted to
play to our strengths. He’s a man of taste and nothing cheap gets past him.”
Justin adds: “We play everything as live on the new record and, although I’m
really proud of our first record and the great pop songs on it, we needed to
find our identity which we have on this.”

SFTW has been treated to a number of tracks on The Vaccines Come Of Age —
Aftershave Ocean, Weirdo, Teenage Icon and single No Hope. And what you
notice is how energised the band sound with a grittier sound.

“There’s more punk rock on there,” says Justin.

“On the first record I felt a victim, whereas on this I’m puffing my chest out
more. You can hear the saliva in my mouth, Freddie’s fingers on the fret
boars and even our mistakes.

“It’s the sound of a band playing to our strengths as a live band. We put on a
good show.”

The angsty No Hope was inspired by struggles Justin has experienced in his
twenties. He explains: “People always told me that my teens would be the
most confusing, difficult transitionary period of my life. But I was so
idiotic and reckless in my teens that I didn’t find them hard at all. I was
just kissing girls and smoking weed.

“Now I’ve become more highly strung and found my twenties a lot harder.

“Meeting people for the first time and knowing they’re deciding whether or not
you’re good-looking, talented, charismatic or not. It’s a head f***.

“People are at different steps on the same path when before we were all neck
and neck. It’s just confusing and scary.”

Justin says the new record is more confident though still covers issues of
personal anxiety and self-consciousness.

Justin says: “Teenage Icon was inspired from when I was a kid and I always
felt like Elvis Presley. And now I’m actually being given the opportunity to
do that, on stage.

“But I don’t like putting myself under the microscope too much as enough
people do that already.” The longer-haired Justin is more confident but he
still has moments of “not wanting to sound arrogant”.

When pressed on famous fans of the band, he says: “I don’t want to sound
big-headed so I’d rather not boast but it’s nice when you get texts from
Johnny Marr. It makes you feel good.”

Touring with the Arctic Monkeys and, more recently, supporting the Red Hot
Chili Peppers and The Stone Roses at Heaton Park have boosted the band’s
self-belief that fans will love the new album.

Pete says: “The Stone Roses in particular felt like being a part of rock
history. It was Spike Island part two, really.”

Justin add: “We’re not really scared of anything any more. We are second and
third from the top of all the major UK festivals and we’re filling those
fields.

“We’re quite an ambitious band and we like the idea of having universal
appeal. We don’t want people to listen to us with their noses in the air.

“And we had no fear of expressing ourselves and showing people what we’re like
on this record. They’re emotional philosophical lyrics that get into your
mind.”

Last summer Justin had a third operation to remove a polyp on his vocal
cords.

The band were forced to cancel gigs and Justin was devastated after doctors
told him he might not sing again.

“It has been OK since,” he says. “But I’ve made a few lifestyle changes. I
keep away from cigarette smoke and try not to shout when I’m drunk. I think
my voice is softer and more dynamic and has actually benefited from it as on
the first record I think I was in a single register for the whole record.

“It was a scary and upsetting time. Cancelling shows was hard. I was letting
fans down then I wasn’t allowed to talk for two weeks after each operation
which was difficult.

“I had to communicate by writing — I actually went on my first date with my
girlfriend with a notebook!

“And I live in constant fear as the doctor has said there is no point
operating if it happens again.

“But I’m not worrying about that. All I know is that we have a great album
coming soon and we’re a more confident and comfortable band than before.

“We just want to keep it going, keep evolving and keep getting better.”

The single No Hope is out now. The album The Vaccines Come Of Age is out
on September 3.